WASHINGTON, D.C. — South Africa has appointed Roelf Meyer, a 78-year-old former apartheid-era minister and member of the country's white Afrikaans minority, as its next ambassador to the United States. The appointment fills a diplomatic vacancy in Washington, D.C., that has persisted since March 2025.

Meyer is set to assume the post once all protocols are complete in Washington, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa's office. The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that the appointment is seen as a sign that Pretoria aims to improve its relations with Washington following increased diplomatic tensions during the previous year.

The ambassadorial post became vacant after President Donald Trump expelled then-Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool in March 2025. The expulsion followed Rasool's criticism of the Make America Great Again movement during a webinar organized by a South African think tank. During that webinar, Rasool discussed the Trump administration's policy measures affecting diversity and equity programs as well as immigration. He also mentioned the possibility of a future United States where white people would no longer be the majority.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on social media accusing Rasool of being a "race-baiting politician." Rubio's post linked to a Breitbart story about the webinar remarks. South Africa has had no diplomatic representation in Washington since Rasool's departure.

Bilateral relations deteriorated further in 2025 when Trump issued an executive order freezing most foreign assistance to South Africa. Trump also launched a refugee program for white South Africans, claiming they face government-led persecution in their home country.

Meyer served as a minister under the apartheid Nationalist Party government and rose to prominence in the 1990s during negotiations between the Nationalist Party and the African National Congress to end segregation and white minority rule. Those talks paved the way for South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994.

As chief negotiator for the Nationalist Party, Meyer became acquainted with Ramaphosa, who was then a negotiator for the ANC. Meyer joined the ANC in 2006.